Collapsible music stand extension device

ABSTRACT

A collapsible device that can be quickly and easily mounted to certain types of music stands to allow viewing of up to six sheets of paper side by side. The device consists principally of four panel sections, two of which, in the expanded position, hang from the top horizontal edge of the music stand via lips provided for this purpose. Two lower panels, each attached via hinge to the upper panel directly above it, also include lip features at the bottom of the device for holding the sheets of paper. In the expanded position, the four panels cover and extend the viewable plane of the stand. The device can be folded on two perpendicular axes for compact storage and transport. Usable width combined with ease of transport and deployment differentiate the device from prior art, allowing the device to be treated as part of a musician&#39;s personal gear.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

1. Provisional application No. 61/294,850, Jan. 14, 2010

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

Not applicable.

REFERENCE TO SEQUENCE LISTING, A TABLE, OR A COMPUTER PROGRAM LISTINGCOMPACT DISC APPENDIX

Not applicable.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION References Cited

-   1. U.S. Pat. No. 5,636,824, “Music Stand” (Americole Biasini, 1997)-   2. U.S. Pat. No. 5,037,057, “Collapsible Music Stand” (Kim N.    Andrews, 1991)-   3. U.S. Pat. No. 4,355,779, “Collapsible Stand For Sheet Music And    The Like” (Simca Heled, 1979)-   4. U.S. Pat. No. 4,561,339, “Music Stand For Guitar Player” (Gary L.    Jensen, 1984)-   5. U.S. Pat. No. 5,356,109, “Music Support Apparatus and Method”    (Americole Biasini, 1994)-   6. U.S. Pat. No. 5,114,111, “Music Stand” (Kim N. Andrews, 1992)-   7. U.S. Pat. No. 4,312,490, “Music Stand Extender” (Americole    Biasini, 1982)-   8. U.S. Pat. No. 4,372,518, “Music Stand Extender” (Americole    Biasini, 1983)-   9. U.S. Pat. No. 5,692,719, “Sheet Music Stand” (Charles G.    Shepherd, 1997)

The present invention relates to a page support apparatus such as thosethat support sheet music for a musician, and more specifically to anapparatus that can attach to standard music stands, replacing andextending the usable area of such stands with a significantly widerarea.

Various types of stands for securing and displaying printed sheet musicare well known, and are described in prior art, such as Biasini 1997,Andrews 1991, Heled 1979 and Jensen, 1984. In keeping with generallyaccepted terminology, this document will refer to such devices as “musicstands”. The purpose of a music stand is to secure printed music andrelated instructions in a position such that one or more musicians orvocalists can read the music and/or instructions while performing.Various designs for music stands have been developed in prior art forservicing both general and specialized needs.

A limitation of the most common music stands is their inability todisplay more than two or three sheets of music side by side. This cancreate challenges in situations where turning pages is difficult, orwhere multiple musicians or vocalists need to share a music stand.Different classes of remedies to these challenges exist in prior art,including mechanical extensions to existing music stands (e.g., Biasini1994), as well as self-contained stands with the extension featuresincluded (e.g., Andrews 1992). The present invention is a mechanicalextension to an existing music stand. Due to difficulties in deployment,the music stand extensions in most common use are typically attachedsemi-permanently to host music stands, even though it is possible toremove them. This usage pattern is inconsistent with the needs ofmusicians who might need to use a music stand extension in more than onecontext. A wider, more portable, easily deployable and affordable devicethat can travel with the musician is needed, but is currently lacking inthe marketplace.

Prior art exists both in the area of mechanical extensions to existingmusic stands, as well as self-contained music stands. Biasini, 1994,Biasini, 1982, and Biasini, 1983 describe different approaches toextending an existing music stand. Biasini, 1982 describes a set ofretractable structures that attaches to the left and right sides of amusic stand. Devices based on this design are available in themarketplace, particularly for non-collapsible music stands. Biasini,1983 describes a similar solution for a common type of collapsible musicstand. Because such devices involve two distinct components, eachattaching separately to the music stand at multiple points inperpendicular planes, they are more difficult to transport and attachthan the present invention. Such devices also impose manufacturinglimitations in terms of materials, tolerances and compatibility with arange of host stands. Finally, the usable width offered by these devicesis less than what many practical situations require.

Biasini, 1994 describes a more elaborate, collapsible structure. Thisdevice addresses some of the transportability and ease of deploymentissues of Biasini 1982, since it is a collapsible device embodied in asingle, integrated unit. However, it is a more complex design due to itsexplicit accommodation for a collapsible ledge section, as well as adual-purpose slot area that both secures the device in use and storesmusic when not in use. This complexity would increase the cost ofmanufacturing the device, and the dual-purpose design of the slot arearestricts the usability of the device to a certain class of music standswith little or no physical border around the perimeter of the displayplane of the music stand. Music stand designs with such a perimeterborder are now common in the marketplace.

Other prior art, such as Andrews, 1991 and Shepherd, 1997, embodycomplete music stand designs, with extensibility and/or collapsibilityfeatures included. These solutions are a separate category, both inprinciple and in practice, as they require the user to abandon existinginvestments in simpler, cheaper music stand equipment in exchange formore complex and expensive equipment. The present invention pertainsspecifically to a device that adapts to a broad class of existing musicstands, thus allowing the user to preserve previous investments inequipment.

A need exists for an inexpensive and easy to use music stand extensiondevice that can handle a larger set of detached, individual pages ofmusic, either for an individual musician for whom turning pages is achallenge, or in cases where two or more musicians or vocalists need toshare a music stand. A common example is guitarists who perform incontemporary church settings. Typical situations often require playingfive or more different songs in sequence, with no delay between songs.In this and other situations, it is desirable to display all of thesheets of music side by side, because guitar players have difficultyturning pages quickly. Similarly, larger vocal groups often need toshare a limited number of music stands. In these situations, a musicstand extension of sufficient width can allow one stand to serve theneeds of two or three vocalists.

Set-up time and complexity are critical concerns in many situations.Church musicians often need to set up and break down equipment in aslittle as ten or fifteen minutes, to accommodate the time constraints ofmultiple church services. Electric guitarists in particular often needto connect and configure a range of electronic equipment, such asamplifiers, effects devices, tuners and associated wiring. Similar timeconstraints exist for guitar players and other musicians in a variety ofperformance situations. Consequently, any music stand extension devicetargeted to these types of situations must not add significant time orcomplexity to set-up processes that already present difficultchallenges.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The disclosed invention is a collapsible device that is easily mountedto a conventional music stand to provide for viewing of up to six sheetsof paper side by side. The device consists principally of four generallyrectangular panel sections of similar design, connected via pivotalconnections on two perpendicular axes. When fully deployed, the foursections form a single, generally rectangular surface that covers andextends the display panel of the music stand. In the deployed position,the upper two sections hang from the top horizontal edge of the musicstand via lips on each section. The two lower sections are attached viapivotal connections to the upper sections directly above them,respectively, and to each other via a central, vertical pivotalconnection. The two top sections are not directly attached to eachother. Lip features are also included on the bottom of each lowersection for securing individual sheets of music.

The pivotal connections employed by the device permit it to be folded ontwo perpendicular axes for compact storage and transport. This isaccomplished by first disengaging the upper sections from the top of themusic stand with a lifting motion, then folding the upper sectionsforward and down until they rest parallel to the lower sections, andthen folding the entire device in half laterally. Thus, in the fullycollapsed state, the four main sections stack against each other,resulting in a roughly 70% reduction in device size in the collapsedstate vs. the fully deployed state. The lips of the device do notinterfere with each other in the collapsed state due to a difference insize between the upper and lower panel sections.

The disclosed invention offers significant advantages over prior art insolving specific challenges that musicians commonly face. Thesechallenges include usable size, portability and transportability, easeof deployment, and adaptability to wide variety of music stands. It alsohas advantages in manufacturing and choice of materials, making thedevice cost-effective and adaptable to a wide variety of situations anduser preferences.

When expanded, the device can display up to six unbound sheets of musicside by side without significant overlap, which is an improvement overother designs. In the collapsed state, it is small enough to fit intocarry bags that musicians typically use to carry equipment. Forsituations where a carry bag is not otherwise used, an alternateembodiment allows for a built-in carry handle with no adverse impact onthe utility or portability of the device. The weight of the device willvary depending on material type and thickness, but will typically beabout 2 pounds in the preferred embodiment. This is reasonable comparedto the equipment that musicians typically need to transport. Thus, thepresent invention allows the musician to treat the extension device aspart of his or her personal gear, rather than having to allocate it to aspecific music stand at a fixed location.

The disclosed invention is simple to deploy. It attaches to the hostmusic stand via a lip along a single line, without fasteners, using onlygravity and friction. The attachment point need not be snug, thusallowing for high tolerances in the lip geometry. This reduces thecomplexity of fitting the device to the stand, relative to othersolutions that require a snug fit along perpendicular axes. In addition,the hinge geometry allows the device to unfold itself, via gravity, ifthe user holds it in the correct position when deploying. The devicenaturally falls into the expanded, planar geometry, and the user simplyhangs it on the top edge of the music stand.

The disclosed invention is adaptable to any music stand that has acontinuous horizontal top edge. These types of music stands tend to besturdy and stable, and, consequently, are a popular choice in high-usesituations such as churches and concert halls. Because the display panelof this type of music stand is thin and flat, and therefore prone tobending and warping, manufacturers typically crimp the material indifferent ways to control this. Those stands that have crimped or bentedges (or other bracing on the perimeter), as opposed to crimping withinthe plane of the device, present difficulties for extension devices thatdepend on a snug fit along flat, thin edges. To address this, thedisclosed invention allows for a wide or variable lip size that canaccommodate most music stands in this category, regardless of thelocation of crimping or bracing.

The disclosed invention allows for flexibility in manufacturingtechniques and choice of materials. The rectangular sections thatcomprise the bulk of the device share a similar design, and thus can befabricated using similar methods and a limited number of molds, jigs,forms, etc. The device can be constructed from a wide variety ofmaterials, including, but not limited to, various sheet metals andthermoplastics, each servicing different preferences and coststructures. If the device is constructed of sheet metal, the lipfeatures can be easily fabricated by bending the material using standardbrake equipment. For devices that use such an integrated upper lip, theangle and radius of the lip can be designed to accommodate music standswith edges of varying thickness. In contrast, bending does not work wellwith thermoplastics, due to the well-documented tendency of thinnersheets to warp when heated and bent along long axes. However, the lipfeatures for devices made of thermoplastics can be easily fabricatedseparately in a number of ways. For example, rectangular lip sectionscan be chemically welded together from strips of varying width.Alternatively, strips can be attached with screws and spacers, allowingfor variable-width lip geometries. Lips can also be fabricatedseparately as extrusions, and chemically welded to the edge of the panelsections. Thermoplastics such as acrylic and polycarbonate offer otheradvantages, such as the ease by which hinges and other parts can bechemically welded into position, as well as transparency and tintingoptions that some users might find desirable for cosmetic reasons.

The preferred fabrication technique will depend on material andquantity, due to varying fixed cost structures involved with differenttechniques. For example, in larger quantities, the main panel sectionsof thermoplastic devices can be injection molded or extruded (allowingfor an integrated lip without heat bending, if desired). In smallerquantities, thermoplastic devices can be assembled by hand withappropriate jigs, using stock parts and chemical welds. For devicesconstructed of sheet metal, different standard manufacturing techniquesare available, including sheet metal brakes for bending, riveting thehinges, stamping of logos, etc. Thus, cost effective, well-establishedmanufacturing options are available across a wide range of materials andquantities.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the front of the device when fullyunfolded.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the rear of the device when fullyunfolded.

FIG. 3 is a perspective close-up view from the top of the device whenfully unfolded.

FIG. 4 is a side view of the device when fully unfolded.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the front of the device when fullyunfolded, to illustrate an alternate embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the rear of the device when fullyunfolded, to illustrate an alternate embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a side view of the device when fully unfolded, to illustratean alternate embodiment.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the front of the device when mounted ona music stand.

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of the rear of the device when mounted on amusic stand.

FIG. 10 is a perspective view of the front of the device in partiallycollapsed position, with the top sections folded downward.

FIG. 11 is a side view of the device in partially collapsed position,with the top sections folded downward.

FIG. 12 is a perspective view of the rear of the device when the topsections are folded downward.

FIG. 13 is a perspective view of the device in fully collapsed position.

FIG. 14 is a perspective view of the front of the device when fullyunfolded. It is the same as FIG. 1, and is provided without numbering asa “Front Page View”, as needed.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Referring to FIG. 1, the present invention consists of a set of fourthin rectangular sections 1, 2, 3, and 4, each section similar to theothers, except that the two upper sections 1 and 2 are nominally oneinch smaller than the two lower sections 3 and 4 in the preferredembodiment, as measured in the vertical (smaller) dimension of eachrectangle. In the preferred embodiment, each rectangular section 1, 2, 3and 4 is about 24 inches in width, with the upper sections 1 and 2 about5.5 inches in height and the lower sections 3 and 4 about 6.5 inches inheight. In the preferred embodiment, rectangular sections 1, 2, 3 and 4have rounded corners as a safety feature. In the preferred embodiment,the fully assembled and expanded device is approximately 48 inches inlength and 12.5 inches in height.

The present invention can be fabricated from either sheet metal or athermoplastic material such as acrylic, polycarbonate or acrylonitrilebutadiene styrene (ABS). The nature of the invention and the function ofthe device do not change with the material, but material thicknesses andfabrication options differ with the chosen material. The preferredembodiment is a thermoplastic device, due to the availability offabrication options with lower fixed costs, as well as weight andcosmetic advantages. However, sheet metal devices offer other advantagesand are a viable alternate embodiment.

Continuing to refer to FIG. 1, the top edge of section 1 and the topedge of section 2 include lips 7 that face toward the rear of the devicewhen deployed. Lips 7 engage the device on the top edge of the musicstand. The bottom edge of section 3 and the bottom edge of section 4include lips 8 that face toward the front of the device when deployed.Lips 8 support the sheets of music.

Referring to FIG. 2 and FIG. 3, in the preferred thermoplasticembodiment, lips 7 are separate rectangular members that attach to thedevice with standard binder posts 9, or other functionally equivalentscrew and spacer mechanism. In this configuration, the posts engage thetop edge of the music stand to support the device, and the rectangularmembers prevent the device from slipping off the edge of the musicstand. This allows lips 7 to have a variable depth to accommodatedifferent types of music stands, by using screws and spacers 9 ofdifferent lengths.

Referring again to FIG. 1, lips 8 must be continuous members because oftheir role in supporting sheets of music along the length of the device.Lips 8 may be either permanently attached to the device or removablyfastened to accommodate variable depth. Lips 8 may be constructed oflong strips of material, with a wider strip on the outer edge to form anL shape, creating a channel in which sheets of music may rest. If suchstrips are removably fastened with screws, the depth of lips 8 may bevaried by adding additional or wider strips of material. Forthermoplastic devices, fixed depth lips may be fabricated by chemicallywelding the strips to together, and to sections 3 and 4. An extrusion ofappropriate cross-section could also be used instead of fabricating thelips 8 from strips of material. Other embodiments of lips 7 and lips 8are possible within the scope of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 2, the two sections 3, 4 comprising the lower half ofthe device are connected via pivotal connection 10 along short sides ofeach section 3, 4. The upper sections 1, 2 are not directly connected toeach other. Care must be observed in selecting and fastening pivotalconnection 10. Torsionally-induced stresses in this connection, with thedevice in the collapsed state, can be significant. Therefore, in thepreferred embodiment, the pivotal connection 10 is a rigid, sturdy,piano-type hinge or equivalent, extending for most of the height ofsections 3, 4, or about 6 inches.

Referring again to FIG. 1, pivotal connections 5 connect the uppersection 1 to lower section 4, and pivotal connections 6 connect theupper section 2 to lower section 3. The specific number and mechanismsfor the pivotal connections can vary within the scope of the presentinvention, and will depend on the materials used. For thermoplasticdevices, segments of standard, off-the-shelf thermoplastic piano hingecan be chemically welded to the front faces of sections 1, 2, 3, and 4.The preferred embodiment uses four hinges, each roughly three inches inlength. Two hinges pivotally connect section 1 to section 4, and twohinges pivotally connect section 2 to section 3. Other approaches to thepivotal connections are possible with thermoplastic devices withoutchanging the basic function of the device. For example, continuous“living hinges” are commercially available for hinging thermoplasticsheet, and are easily cut to size and attached to the edges of sheets 1,2, 3 and 4. For sheet metal devices, standard metal hinges of varyingtypes can be screwed or riveted to the front faces of sections 1, 2, 3,and 4, using the hinge geometry shown in FIG. 1.

Referring to FIG. 4, the thickness 11 of the sections will range from1/16 inch to ⅛ inch in preferred embodiments. The preferred thicknessdepends on the material used. The preferred thickness for thermoplasticdevices is ⅛ inch, for strength and durability reasons, although thinnerthermoplastic material can be used to create lighter weight devices. Thepreferred thickness for sheet metal devices is 1/16 inch, due to weightconsiderations, and also to allow for easier construction of the lipfeatures via bending in a sheet metal brake.

FIG. 5 and FIG. 6 depict an alternate embodiment of the device withintegrated lip features. In this embodiment, the lips 7 and lips 8 areformed directly in sheets 1, 2, 3 and 4 either by bending the material,or through extrusion or injection molding. In this alternate embodiment,lips 7 extend the full length of sections 1 and 2, since they are formeddirectly from sections 1 and 2. This embodiment is most appropriate fordevices constructed of sheet metal, where sheet metal brakes arewell-suited to bending the material for this application. Forthermoplastic devices, similar geometry may be attained throughextrusion or injection molding rather than bending, due to warpingissues when heating and bending thin thermoplastic sheet along longaxes. In this alternate embodiment, the angle of the lip features canvary within the scope of the present invention. The optimal angledepends on preferred tradeoffs between maximum stability and minimumcollapsed size of the device vs. the usability of the device with awider variety of music stands. Maximum stability in use, and minimumsize in the collapsed state, are achieved if lips 7 and lips 8 are bentor formed to 180°, so that the plane of the lip is parallel to the planeof the main sections of the device, as shown in FIG. 5 and FIG. 6.However, such a device is limited to music stands with a thin upperedge, due to the narrow space between the planes of the sections 1, 2, 3and 4 and the planes of the associated lips 7 and lips 8. Referring toFIG. 7, if the angle 12 of lip 7 and angle 13 of lip 8 is decreased byabout 45°, the lips 7 will adequately engage music stands with wider topedges, and inserting pages into lips 8 will be easier. However, thedevice and supported sheets will be slightly less stable in thisconfiguration. If the angle of lips 8 is decreased by about 90°, so thatlips 8 are perpendicular to the main sections, the device could beadapted to display thicker, bound volumes rather than individual sheetsof music. However, this embodiment of the device is of lesser interestin practical applications because the ledge of the host music standremains available to support a bound volume, regardless of theconfiguration of lips 8 on the extension device.

Referring to FIG. 8 and FIG. 9, the device is deployed by hanging thefully expanded unit on the upper edge of the music stand 14 via the lips7 on the upper sections 1 and 2. The lower sections 3 and 4 hangdownward, with lips 8 near the ledge 15 of the music stand. Sheets ofmusic may be placed in the lips 8 of the device, along the length of thedevice, so that the lips 8 support the sheets. Thus, five to six sheetsof paper, each 8½ inches wide, can be viewed simultaneously on thedevice. Six sheets can be displayed within the available 48 inch displayarea either by overlapping the side margin areas of the sheets, or byallowing the left and right sheets to overhang the left and right sidesof the device, respectively, by about 1.5 inches.

The device is collapsed for storage and transport by lifting the lips 7off the top of the music stand, then briefly resting the lips 8 on theledge of the stand. Referring to FIG. 10 and FIG. 11, the upper sections1, 2 fold down 180° so that the planes of the upper sections 1, 2 andplanes of the lower sections 3, 4 rest against each other. The lips 7 ofthe upper sections do not intersect the lips 8 of the lower sections dueto the difference in size between upper sections 1, 2 and lower sections3, 4. Referring to FIG. 12 and FIG. 13, the entire device can then befolded in half along the hinge 10 that connects the lower sections 3 and4. In the preferred embodiment, the collapsed sized of the device willbe approximately 24 inches by 6.5 inches.

Referring to FIG. 13, in an alternate embodiment, handle 16 is formedwhen individual holes in sections 1,2,3,4 line up when the device isfully collapsed. In the preferred embodiment, these holes are ellipticalfor ease of manufacture, but a variety of other shapes would beacceptable to form different types of handles. However, if holes are notprovided in sections 1,2,3,4, the basic function of the device isunaffected.

1. An extension device that widens the usable page support area of aconventional music stand, said music stand having a planar support panelwith a straight and solid top edge, said extension device being adaptedto engage such music stands without requiring structural changes theretoor additional attaching members thereon, said extension devicecomprising: a. A plurality of planar panels of generally rectangularshape, arranged in close proximity to form the sections of a largerrectangular shape, b. the upper and lower panels comprising eachhorizontal half of the larger rectangle pivotally connected to eachother so that the upper panel on each side may rotate up and down toallow the upper panel to rest against the lower panel when collapsed, c.the lower panels pivotally connected to each other so that the lowerpanel on each side may rotate side to side to allow the left lower panelto rest against the right lower panel when collapsed, such that theupper panels in the fully collapsed state form the outer surfaces of thecollapsed device, d. the top edge of each upper panel in the deployedstate having one or more lips, either integrated in or attached to saidpanels, removably or permanently, said lips extending toward the back ofthe music stand, and of sufficient depth, angle, downward extent, andlateral extent so as to engage the upper edge of the music stand suchthat the device will not disengage from the music stand in normal use,e. the bottom edge of each lower panel in the deployed state having alip, either integrated in or attached to said panels, removably orpermanently, said lip extending toward the front of the music standalong most or all of the length of each panel, and of sufficient depth,angle and upward extent so as to prevent sheets of paper resting againstthe panels of the device from slipping off the device, f. the upperpanels smaller than the lower panels in the smaller planar dimension,such that the top edges of the of the upper panels do not engage thelips of the lower panels when the device is collapsed for storage. 2.The member as recited in claim 1, wherein the lips of said lower panelsof said extension device are adapted to form a ledge extending at aright angle relative to the plane of the panels.
 3. The member asrecited in claim 1, wherein the panels of the device contain holes, saidholes located in such a way that they coincide to form a handle forcarrying the device in the fully collapsed state.